The idea is that you know how much actual time that score took you. You
say you worked on it for 8 months, but that really is meaningless. How
many actual hours of work time did you spend on it?
Take that number of hours, and multiply by the hourly rate you think you
deserve. There isn't any one rate -- where I live, I can live
comfortably charging $50/hour. I'm completely self-employed, so I have
to buy my own health insurance, provide for my own retirement benefits,
pay the full social-security (you don't have to worry about that, but in
the U.S. an employee only contributes half of this while the employer
contributes the other half -- self-employed contribute the whole thing),
etc. So I have worked out that $50/hour allows me to survive well.
Your per-hour rate may well need to be different, and take into account
the exchange rate between the Euro and the dollar, as well as
cost-of-living stuff. You know what a decent per-hour rate is for your
area, use that as a starting point.
So if it took you 160 hours to complete that score, at my rate, that
would have been 8000 dollars. Divide that by the total number of
original manuscript pages, and you have a per-page rate. Use this for
future price quotes. If the music for a new project is busier (i.e. has
many more markings or fussier notation) then increase that rate 25%, if
it's a lot easier, keep the rate the same or lower it maybe 10%.
Then for extracted parts simply add a per-part extraction fee -- x euros
per part per page.
You'll probably end up with something in the neighborhood of $20-$40 per
page of original manuscript score -- make each page of your extracted
parts something like $2/page or $3/page. So if extracted parts end up
being 10 pages per part, the price will be $20 or $30 per part.
Be sure to figure in a few extra hours to your per/page price because
there are always pages which you run into which are much denser than any
of the rest and which you managed to miss on your first glance through
the original manuscript.
Be sure also that the client knows that you are billing him PER ORIGINAL
PAGE of the manuscript, not per completed Finale page.
THEN, the important thing is how you word your contract (you do have a
contract don't you?)
Be sure to include wording to the effect of:
*****
Any mistakes which the engraver makes in the course of engraving the
music will be repaired at no additional charge.
Any mistakes which are in the original score and which the client later
wants changed will be made at the hourly rate of $50/hour.
Any additions or deletions which are made to the score after the project
has begun will be made at the hourly rate of $50/hour.
Payment be scheduled as follows:
25% to be paid when the manuscript is delivered to the engraver.
50% to be paid when the first draft of the completed engraved score is
delivered for proof-reading.
25% to be paid upon final delivery of the completed score and parts as
agreed upon above.
Any alterations to this agreement will be negotiated at the time they
are proposed.
*****
You should have a competent contract lawyer review any contract you
propose to use with your clients. Make sure that in your contract the
date that you will receive the completed original manuscript is
stipulated as well as when you will deliver the final product by. If
you don't specify a date by which you'll deliver the finished project,
the client can get really antsy really fast and start complaining and
hounding you. Likewise, if you don't specify a date by which the
completed original manuscript will be delivered to you, the client may
get you the score pages in small groups, making your ability to do an
efficient job next to impossible.
Good luck!
David H. Bailey
josue moreno wrote:
I know that count items but i cant know without copy it before, and
count by hand maybe is too boring...that big orchestral work was after
copy it 65000 notes, i think 7000 rests and so, i got that numbers
somewhere...
That can work maybe on extracting parts, but i have to give a prize
before start, just with a deep sight on it
thanks, the idea is good, but not on this method i got contracted usually
From: Derek Kane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply To: [email protected]
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: [Finale] OT: money, money
Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:49:54 PM
Here's an idea. There is a function in Finale that will count all the
items
in the score. Path: plug-ins\miscellaneous\count items. You can charge a
set price for each item. Charge 1 cent for each measure, 2 cents for each
note, etc. I would start with this big score you did. Figure out how much
you think you "should" have got paid, then count items, and figure out what
each item is worth in cents. This can be part of your initial contract
too.
This is a nice little feature that I have used occasionally. You can also
charge by the hour if that is easier.
D~
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of
josue moreno
Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 9:33 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Finale] OT: money, money
Hi everyone,
i was checking the archives but i didnt find any subject about this (at
least i didnt find)
Im working as engraver from about three years, i think everybody may had
this same trouble,
everytime i give some prize for a possible work, the customer accept but
just starting i feel i went "cheated". A lot of dificult things appear on
the score, or the client just want to change something or make new
requirements. Im pretty newbie and i cant predict such a things, and im
also
very very shy for talk about money.
The most incredible sample of this matter is that i was working on such a
big orchestral piece with parts that took me 8 months, and the only money i
took was 1200 euros...
Id love someone to talk me as clear as possible about how much is right
prize.
I know im not an experienced professional but i dont wanna live on slavery,
hehe
thanks to everyone.
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David H. Bailey
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